Top 10 TV Shows That Should Be Remade as a Horror Franchise
Top 10 TV Shows That Should Be Remade as a Horror Franchise
If “Fantasy Island” can get a horror makeover, why not these classic shows too? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 TV Shows That Should Be Remade as a Horror Franchise. For this list, we’ll be imagining how older TV series could work as horror film franchises, regardless of their original genre. Which of these would you like to see the most? To celebrate the release of "Fantasy Island" we'll be taking some of our favourites and creating some Bizarro Trailers! Stay tuned for that!
#10: “Inspector Gadget” (1983-86)
Doctor Claw’s voice is already the stuff of nightmares and the fact that we never see his face only adds to the creep factor. So, giving this cartoon a gritty horror reboot honestly wouldn’t be that huge of a stretch. Imagine it: after M.A.D. terrorists leave his body mutilated, a clueless inspector is turned into a vengeful cyborg. Slowly but surely, Inspector Gadget loses himself to his mechanical body, taking out anyone who stands in the way of his revenge spree. Director Leigh Whannell of “Upgrade” would be a natural fit for a sci-fi body horror picture like this. We could also see Elisabeth Moss playing a grown-up Penny who tries to stop Uncle Gadget with help from her dog Brain.
#9: “Gilligan’s Island” (1964-67)
Although it’s best remembered for its campy, lighthearted tone, the premise for “Gilligan’s Island” has “horror picture” written all over it. The film could return to the series’ black and white roots, borrowing a few visual cues from “The Lighthouse.” Just like in that film, the characters grow increasingly frustrated with one another when they’re stranded on a remote island. The bumbling Gilligan proves especially hard to coexist with, eventually driving the Skipper to bash his skull in with a coconut. The next morning, however, Gilligan’s body isn’t where they buried it! One by one, Gilligan hunts down his fellow castaways. Suddenly, Gilligan’s signature bucket hat takes on a more menacing appearance - not unlike the fisherman’s ensemble in “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
#8: “Herman’s Head” (1991-94)
This obscure 90s sitcom centered on an average joe named Herman and the personified emotions that occupy his psyche. Herman is more or less a decent guy, but what if he was violent, prone to sudden outbursts, and all-around psychotic? What if the four emotions that took up his mind consisted of anger, paranoia, envy, and bloodlust with remorse nowhere to be found? What if he had multiple personalities, all fighting to take control of the unstable Herman? You can lock him up in a loony bin, but Herman’s head is already an untamable madhouse! There’s unlimited potential here for a psychological thriller that delves into insanity like never before. Think Norman Bates or Patrick Bateman, but with an “Inside Out” twist.
#7: “The Secret World of Alex Mack” (1994-98)
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This Nickelodeon series follows a young girl who develops supernatural powers after getting soaked by a truckload of chemicals. The side effects of GC-161 include telekinesis, liquifying, and electricity. The show blended a variety of genres, from teen drama to sci-fi, but the premise could function as a work of horror too. This material seems well-suited for body horror master David Cronenberg. Like Christopher Walken in “The Dead Zone,” Alex could be a tragic hero whose powers sometimes feel more like a curse. She could also be reimagined as a villain who makes heads explode a la “Scanners.” If Cronenberg wants to take an especially depressing route like “The Fly,” the film could center on Alex gradually deteriorating into a puddle while her humanity melts away.
#6: “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” (1986-90)
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Remember Large Marge from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure?” Well, imagine the creep factor from that scene if it were injected into the off-the-wall madness of “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” While this children’s show was always upbeat and energetic, it easily could’ve taken on a very different tone. A lot of the surreal characters who occupy the titular playhouse would feel right at home in a bad fever dream that Freddy Krueger cooked up. Even Pee-wee himself walks a fine line between being charming and creepy. That said, what if Pee-wee was reinvented as a villain like Pennywise, luring children to his playhouse for a playdate with death? Plus, we don’t know about you, but we find something very unsettling about Laurence Fishburne’s cowboy character.
#5: “Animorphs” (1998-99)
Based on the young adult novels, the “Animorphs” TV series was short-lived, but certainly left an impression. While the show put an emphasis on sci-fi and suspense, this setup could also provide leeway for some horrifying scenarios. The premise revolves around five teenagers who are able to morph into any animal they come into physical contact with. It sounds cool on paper, but if “An American Werewolf in London” taught us anything, it’s that transforming into a savage beast can be downright terrifying if executed properly. Our heroes do battle with alien parasites, which is reminiscent of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “The Thing.” As for the cast, the kids from “New Mutants” should be available since that’s probably not getting a sequel.
#4: “Eerie, Indiana” (1991-92)
We guess you could say that “Eerie, Indiana” was the 90s kids show equivalent to “Twin Peaks.” Both were ahead of their time and took place in quirky small towns where strange occurrences are part of everyday life. While mainly aimed at children, the show got away with its fair share of dark imagery, which might explain why it only lasted a season. “Eerie, Indiana” developed a passionate fanbase, however, with one of its most notable admirers being “Gravity Falls” creator Alex Hirsch. With the popularity of “Stranger Things” and Stephen King’s “It,” we think now’s as good a time as any for an even more adult “Eerie, Indiana” reboot on the big screen. Director Joe Dante could even come back as a creative consultant.
#3: “Leave It to Beaver” (1957-63)
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From “The Bad Seed,” to “The Exorcist,” to “Hereditary,” cinema has granted us no shortage of sinister children. Giving Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver the Damien treatment may sound borderline comedic. You have to admit, though, “We Need to Talk About the Beaver” does have a nice ring to it. The horror version of this golden age sitcom could either turn Beaver into the antichrist or a seemingly ordinary boy deprived of empathy for the atrocities he commits. Either way, he’s raising a whole new level of mischief. Of course, Beaver wouldn’t necessarily need to be the villain. Maybe he could fill the Danny Torrance role while his father Ward hunts his family down with an ax. Or would a cleaver be more fitting in this case?
#2: “The Addams Family” (1964-66)
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They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re all together ooky, but the Addams Family were never exactly intended to be straight-up scary. As macabre as they might be, we wouldn’t label any of their incarnations under the horror genre. If a hard-R “Addams Family” reboot was given the green light, though, just think of the gothic possibilities. Wednesday wouldn’t need telekinetic powers to go “Carrie” on her school. Gomez and Morticia could channel Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett, inviting other families over for dinner and turning them into meat pies. And naturally, Cousin It needs to be played by Bill Skarsgård. They could even have a crossover with The Munsters. Now there’s a Dark Universe that we would be totally on board for! Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Lost in Space” (1965-68) “Knight Rider” (1982-86) “Land of the Lost” (1974-76) “Little House of the Prairie” (1974-83) “So Weird” (1999-2001)
#1: “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” (1969-70, 1978)
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Between a true-crime spoof on “Family Guy” and a “Friday the 13th” crossover on “Robot Chicken,” we’ve been given a taste of what a “Scooby-Doo” horror movie might be like. The Scooby gang even appeared on “Supernatural” where the mystery got all too real. Outside of parodies and homages, though, this Saturday morning staple has never officially been adapted into a legitimate horror picture. Several artists would be tailor-made for such a project, from Joss Whedon, to Drew Goddard, to Sam Raimi. Even James Gunn, who wrote the live-action “Scooby-Doo” movies, could turn in an effective horror film if given free rein. Considering that Scooby’s met everybody from John Cena to the Harlem Globetrotters, it only makes sense for him to cross paths with Cujo.
